^ 




;F 465 
T5 
:opy 1 



THE PASSENGER PIGEON 

By W. W. Thompson, Coudersport, Pa. 




Courtesy of Ithaca (N. Y.) Gun Company 

^^s^HE female bird at the left is 
^x Martha, died in Cincinnati zoo 
in 1014. Male bird made up from 
picture of Martha and description of 
writers at different times on the 
pigeon question. 

Earliest Mention of Pigeons. Immense Numbers. 

Slaughter by Trappers. Did They Nest Oftener 

Than Once in Two Years. Drowning- in 

Lake and Ocean. Canker in Pigeons. 

End of the Wild Pigeon Colony 

in 1 886. 



L,„ 



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h 



THE PASSENGER PIGEON 



By W. W. Thompson 
Coudersport, Pa. 



The earliest mention of Passen- 
ger Pigeons, once so plentiful, now- 
extinct, appeared in a report of two 
voyages to New England made dur- 
ing 1638 and 16 63, by Joseph Jos- 
selyn, published in 1674. "The 
Pidgeons, of which there are mil- 
lions of millions, I have seen a flight 
of Pidgeons in the Spring and at 
Michaelmas, when they returned 
back to the Southland for four or 
five miles, that to my thinking had 
neither beginning or ending, length 
or breadth, so thick I could see no 
Sun. They join nest to nest and 
tree to tree by their nests, miles to- 
gether, in Pine trees. I have bought 
in Boston a dozen pidgeons already 
pulled and garbidged for three 
pence. But of late they are much 
diminished, the English taking 
them with nets." It took more than 
two hundred years "diminishing" to 
reach the vanishing point. 

In 1759 Peter Kalm writes of the 
vast number of pi9rgeons in Pennsyl- 
vania and New Jersey in the Spring 
of 174 0, describes their habits, etc. 
In their fight coming in, lasting for 
seven days, often the light was sen- 
sibly diminished, limbs as thick as a 
man's thigh were broken off where 
they roosted. About a week after 
these pigeons left "a sea captain 
'by the name of Aimes, who had just 
arrived at Philadelphia, and after 
him several seafaring men, stated 
that they had found localities out at 
sea where the water to an extent of 
over three French miles was entire- 
ly covered by dead pigeons." "It 
was conjectured that the pigeons, 
whether owing to a storm, mist or 
snowfall, had been carried away to 
the sea, and then on account of 
darkness had alighted on the water 
and in that place and manner met 



their fate." This seems to be a well 
authenticated account of Pigeons 
drowning in the Atlantic, and so far 
as we know the only one — more than 
one hundred years before the 
pigeons became noticeably "extinct." 
Some years after the pigeons were 
practically gone we read an item al- 
most identically the same as the 
Kalm report, even to the "French 
Miles" in some paper, and we believe 
this is the foundation for all of the 
stories that the birds perished by 
drowning in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Peter Kalm also wrote of a Jour- 
ney to Canada in 1749, and passing 
through a pigeon nesting. This is 
noticeable from the fact that it re- 
cords a pigeon nesting in an odd 
numbered year. He states that the 
Governor General of Canada had on 
two occasions shipped quite a large 
number of pigeons to France to be 
turned out in French forests. A de- 
cendant, probably, of these sbip- 
ments, mounted, is one of the prize 
specimens in the Paris Public Mus- 
eum. 

John James Audubon, the great 
Naturalist, as early as 1810-13 de- 
votes much space to pigeons. He es- 
timated the number uP in the bil- 
lions, and their daily food at 8,712,- 
000 bushels. He writes of the trap- 
ping, shooting and squabbing in his 
day which to him seems to cause an 
enormous death rate, and says, 
"Persons unacquainted with these 
birds might naturally conclude that 
such dreadful havoc would soon put 
an end to the species But I satisfied 
myself by long observation that 
nothing but the gradual diminution 
of our forests can accomplish their 
decrease, as they not unfrequently 
quadruple their numbers yearly and 
always double it." He estimated in 



1810, 5,000,000,000 birds in the 
three States, Kentucky, Ohio and In- 
diana, at the same time there were 
nestings in other States. At this 
rate of increase how long would it 
require to overrun the entire pigeon 
section from the Plains East to the 
coast, and from the Gulf to Hudson's 
Bay. They simply did not increase 
at any such rate. 

True, immense numbers (as we 
would rate them now) were killed 
by animals and birds, at nesting 
times but these were only killed by 
the virmin able to obtain a living 
before the birds came, they did not 
increase with the pigeons at that 
particular time. Shipping facilities 
were such that man killed principal- 
ly for local use, for very many 
years. We think it must have been 
in the '60s that market pigeoners 
became much of a factor, during the 
the Civil War not mvich attention 
could have been paid to the shipping 
of pigeons to market, and it was not 
until the '70s that the "great 
slaughter" took place. 

Michigan was the greatest of the 
pigeon States from the fact of hav- 
ing the best transportation facili- 
ties, by rail and water. Kentucky, 
Indiana, Pennsylvania, and in fact all 
States having hardwood forests were 
the nesting grounds of the Pas- 
senger Pigeon, and later in the sea- 
son so much of Canada as had the 
hardwoods. Some early settlers be- 
lieved the birds nested every month 
in the year except February, it is 
doubtful if they nested more than 
from two to three times the same 
year, according to the supply of 
food. 

The greatest slaughter of pigeons 
for market took place in Michigan, 
in 1876 and in 18 78, and from the 
fact that after this time there were 
few nesting anywhere, the dis- 
appearance of the pigeons has been 
laid to the ruthless killing in these 
two years. A writer estimates from 
the Shelby, Michigan, nesting in 18- 
7 6, a shipment of millions of birds 
and from his basis claims that in ten 



years, three nestings a year, ac- 
counts for 9,000,000,000 of a bill- 
ion a year all told. This estimate is 
manifestly very much too high. 
Prom all we have been able to learn 
from numerous authorities, 2,000,- 
000 birds from Michigan in 1878 
would be nearer right, but even 
double it. The 187 6 nesting was a 
record breaker up to that time, and 
there were still other nestings that 
year in other states. Two years later, 
in 1878, there were even larger and 
more nestings in Michigan and a 
catch of 1,500,000 birds accounted 
for, probably 2,000,000 in all in- 
cluding 250,000 live birds, from 
Boyne, Crooked Creek and the Pet- 
owsky section. These two years the 
catches were greater by far than 
ever known before. There were 
several other nestings in the State 
this year and from most of them 
few birds were taken, owing to 
location of the Colonies and diffi- 
culty of getting to market. From 
the destruction of birds in Michigan 
in these two years dates the great 
decline of pigeons as given by all 
writers on this question. It was 
practically the end of Pigeoning in 
Michigan. 

It is related on the best of auth- 
ority that 132 dozen birds were 
caught at one cast of the net. Dr.E. 
Osborn of Saratoga, N. Y., caught 
3,500 at one time. He prepared a 
pen five feet high, one hundred feet 
long, by twenty feet in width, baited 
it for several days using as much as 
forty bushels of corn at one time, 
and using several nets to spring 
over the top of the pen. This was a 
new plan and fortunately not gen- 
erally used. 

The slaughter was great in 1876 
and 1878 but it does not account for 
the extinction of the pigeons; there 
were several other nesting in 
Michigan from which few pigeons 
were taken and during the year 18- 
78 the birds were nesting in Potter 
and Elk Counties, in Pennsylvania 
and under a law passed in the spring 
no netting of pigeons was permitted 



4. 
S!FT 



'2B 



during the nesting season and no 
shooting within one-fourth of a mile 
of nestings. From Pennsylvania the 
increase must have been large, as 
there was no netting in Potter Coun- 
ty, and at Sheffield where the birds 
nested earlier the law cut the netting 
seasons short. The Senate had pro- 
vided before the Governor signed the 
bill for printing and distribution 
of the Act, and the law took effect 
as soon as signed. 

Many observers claim that in 18- 
78 more pigeons crossed the Straits 
from Michigan to Canada than came 
to the State to nest that there was an 
increase notwithstanding the great 
killing. We did not have automobiles, 
good roads, and modern guns so the 
shooting destroyed comparatively 
few. Squa'bbing lasted but four days 
at the most, and the timber owners 
were looking after their lands, so 
there was a big increase in Potter 
County, Pa. this year. 

It has been stated that for a pig- 
eon killed a squab died. In all col- 
onies were many birds not nesting, 
roosting birds they were called, con- 
sisting of both sexes. Old pigeoners 
claimed that if a mate was lost a 
new one from the roosting took its 
place. We do know that we killed a 
pigeon just after it left its nest to 
give place to its mate. Two days lat- 
er we were in the same place and 
there were two birds attending this 
identical nest— a new mate had ap- 
peared. We shot the first bird to see 
if the pigeoners had told us true. 

E. T. Martin, a pigeon dealer and 
interesting writer on pigeons and 
out-door life has written: "It is a 
well proven fact that the old birds 
coming in will feed any squab heard 
crying for food, that in this way they 
look after one another's young. I 
may mention that one of the men in 
my employ this year, at the Shelby 
nesting, 1876, in one forenoon shot 
and killed six hen pigeons that came 
to feed the squab in the same nest" 

Mr. Martin puts the last nesting in 
Michigan in 1880, at which few 
birds were caught, speaks of the 



Crooked Creek nestings as 30 miles 
long, and estimates the shipment in 
1878 at 250,000 live birds, and a to- 
tal of 1, 500, 000. He estimates a re- 
sidue of 490,000,000 and that 129, 
000,000 flew away from Crooked 
River Swamp in 1878; in 1880 the 
birds were scattered through Wis- 
consin, and he estimates the kill at 
250. 000. 

E. H. Moulton, in Outing, 1914, re- 
lates: "About 25 years ago on a trip 
from Ashland to Duluth the Captain 
of the steamer, Mr. Mackey, said 
there is no mystery about their dis- 
appearance (the pigeons) I saw the 
end of the great bulk of them, going 
down the Lake (Superior) late in 
the Fall. A terrific snow storm and 
gale come up — the snow was 
wet and froze when it fell on the 
steamer. In the midst of it we ran in- 
to countless pigeons which were 
eaten down into the water by the 
3now filling their plumage, and after- 
wards the Chippewas dwelling on 
'he North Shore told him they saw 
windrows of dead pigeons stretching 
for miles which had been driven a- 
shore". This seems to be very de- 
finite information as to the loss of 
most if not all of one colony. The 
date is not given but it must have 
been after 1878. But there was al- 
ways more than ONE Colony until 
after 1880 at least, which year they 
nested in Michigan and Penn- 
sylvania. The birds had never been 
in a single Colony, probably on ac- 
count of the food supply. There are, 
I think, two other instances of pig- 
eons drowning in the lakes during 
storms, earlier. 

Chief Pokagon says the Last pig- 
eon nesting was in Benzie County, 
Michigan, in 1880, Several other 
writers fix the same year as last 
nesting. William Brewster writes the 
last pigeon nesting was in Grand Tra- 
verse Co., (County adjoining Benzie 
on the East) as in 1881. McNamie 
says 1881 in Northern Peninsula. 
McNamie tells it as he remembers it. 
There is no doubt there was a nest- 
ing in 1880. If there was a nesting 



in 1881 many writers on the pigeons 
are wrong. We believe 1880 is cor- 
rect, as to Michigan. 

W. H. Merritt, one of the pioneers, 
of Wolverine, writes us that in 1880 
he was acting as woodsman for a 
Railroad surveying party between 
Gaylord and Mackinac, passing 
through a pigeon nesting in Cheboy- 
gan and Otsego Counties. "All the 
pigeon trappers said there were at 
least one-half more birds there 
than ever before, and I saw so many 
of them. I was traveling over a 
strip of country 70 miles long, in 
which there were probably ten nest- 
ings. They moved north across the 
Straits. I was at the Straits when 
they were crossing. There was a 
rope of birds in the sky so far you 
could see both ways. That was the 
last flight of birds as far as I have 
been able to learn." 

We have never known of pigeons 
nesting in any but even numbered 
years, and we have seen but very few 
reports to the contrary. Trusting to 
memory for dates we have found 
very inaccurate. We have been told 
of several nestings in this section of 
Pennsylvania in odd numbered 
years, and in every case it was a 
mistake. We do know from items 
written at the time and by ourself 
that the pigeons nested in Potter 
county in 1868, 1870, 1876, 1878, 
1880, 1882, 1884 and 1886. Was in 
all these nesting except 1884 and 
1886, was in two nesting prior to 
1868 and one nesting in McKean 
County, the dates of which I am un- 
able to fix positively. The Beech 
trees did not bear nuts every year, 
so there was a lack of food some 
years. Did the birds nest in the 
Northern States every year? We 
have seen nothing to indicate that 
they did. The birds were credited 
with going to Canada in the summer. 
There was never any great number 
compared with the Spring flight seen 
in this section returning in the Fall, 
and we have seen but little of such 
flights in farther West reports. 

In 1882, we had a good nesting on 



the West Branch in Potter County, 
Pa. but the catch was not very large. 
An estimate made at the time was 
from 75,000 to 100,000 all told, in- 
cluding dead birds, squabs and about 
25,000 live birds shipped for trap 
shooting. Dead birds brought from 
75c to $1.25 per dozen, very few 
squabs were shipped, most of them 
being taken by residents for home 
consumption. Live birds brought a 
higher price. The Anti Nesting Law 
had been repealed. 

In 1884, there was a heavy flight 
over Coudersport going East, lasting 
but one day. Later near Cherry 
Springs a small flock of about 300 
birds nested and were undisturbed. 
In fact, this little nesting was not 
known to more than half a dozen 
persons. 

In all the nestings in Potter 
County there was an increase when 
the birds left — more birds than 
came in, in spite of the netting, 
shooting and squabbing, this owing 
to difficulty in getting to market 
and thinly settled condition of the 
country. 

In March, 1886, there was a heavy 
fiight of pigeons. For two or three 
weeks the woods in the South-East- 
ern part of the county was full of 
them. They were in McKean county 
for a short time and a ten mile nest- 
ing was reported on Potato and 
Marvin Creeks, later they returned 
to Potter County and started nesting 
on the head of Kettle Creek and the 
Cross Fork, but before completing 
their nests, one night they all left 
going in a North Easterly direction 
towards Canada. It was reported 
that gunners had much to do with 
the breaking up of this nesting. 

After these birds left there was a 
new flight from the West lasting two 
days, going Northeast. This was in 
April. This was the last of the 
pigeons in any quantity seen in Pot- 
ter county. It was the end of the 
Passenger Pigeons. Where from time 
immemorial they had gathered in 
colonies of millions to rear their 
young, they were to be seen no more 



forever. This two days flight was 
the remnant wending their way to 
Canada never to return. What a 
tragedy. 

John C. French, in his book, "The 
Passenger Pigeon in Pennsylvania," 
says: "Mr. Oscar Huff of White Deer, 
Pa., says that they had a nesting 
from May . to late in June, 1886, 
near Blossburg on the Drake Cum- 
mings & Company timber lands. 
Thousands of squabs were killed in 
the little trees with poles, during 
bark peeling time of that year." 

In 188 there were millions of 
pigeons. In 1882 still millions left 
nesting in Potter County, Pa., and as 
late as 1886 still one large and one 
small colony left. To-day and for 
many years not a single live speci- 
men. What became of them? Mar- 
tha, the last known live Passenger 
Pigeon, in the world, died in the 
Cincinnati Zoological Garden, Au- 
gust 29, 1914, at the age of 29 years 

We have heretofore given the evi- 
dence as to drowning and the de- 
struction by man, used to account 
for the extinction of the pigeon, and 
in our opinion they are not at all sat- 
isfactory. In Potter County in 1880, 
the catch was light; few caught in 
Michigan. In 188 2 birds were nest- 
ing in large numbers and there were 
many hundreds of thousands if not 
millions, and a very few scattering 
birds were seen for nearly ten years, 
but no nestings, no flocks of hun- 
dreds after the 188 6 flight in Potter 
County. The last pigeons we saw 
was five or six birds watering on the 
East Fork, about 1895. We were 
fishing and had set down to rest be- 
fore they appeared, not over thirty 
feet away. A year later we saw a 
pair on the Nine Mile when return- 
ing from a fishing trip. These two 
were in the road and flew into a tree 
within three rods of us 

We believe the birds perished 
from some infectious disease which 
may have been working among them 
foi' some years spreading gradually 
from one Colony to another, and the 
1886 colony may have been the last. 



dying in the wilds of Canada. We 
wrote to Wm. T. Hornaday, Director 
of the New York Zoological Park, in 
regard to the disease theory, and 
from Lee S. Crandall, the Curator of 
Birds, received the following: 

"I have heard before of the theory 
of the birds dying from some com- 
municable disease but yours is the 
first good evidence I have seen of it. 
It is quite possible that such a dis- 
ease may have had its effect but I 
am inclined to accept the theory of 
most orinthologists — that the pas- 
senger pigeon, being accustomed to 
breeding in large colonies, which 
suffered a tremendous loss yearly in 
young and eggs, was unable to con- 
tinue when its numbers were reduc- 
ed by shooting and trapping. It is a 
curious biological fact that birds ana 
animals, which had breeding habits 
similar to those of the passenger 
pigeon, have reached or approached 
extinction when their numbers were 
appreciably reduced. The few re- 
maining members of the colonies 
seem unable to hold their own. 
There are instances of a few pairs 
of passenger pigeons returning to 
old nesting sites but, though unmo- 
lested, invariably gradually disap- 
peared." (At the time we wrote we 
had but one authentic instance ot 
Canker in wild birds.) 

It is a well known fact that ani- 
mals and birds have their raise and 
fall as to numbers periodically. 
Many years ago in one of the New 
England States grouse were nearly 
extinct, only a few survived. After- 
wards they became plentiful. One of 
our hunters says the snowshoe rab- 
bit has a period of seven years. 
Some years ago Potter County was 
overrun with rabbits, so much so 
that the Game Commission of the 
State employed Ed Coyle of Couders- 
port to take them alive and ship them 
to Counties where they were scarce. 
He shipped 240 "Cottontails", most- 
ly caught in the borough limits. 
Next year they were very scarce in 
this section, and Ed was blamed for 
the scarcity. As a matter of fact 



they were just as scarce all over the 
Country as in the section where they 
were trapped the year before. They 
have become very plentiful again, 
but several hunters report killing 
diseased rabbits this past season, 
and next year we look for a scarcity 
again. 

Five or six years ago there was an 
unusual supply of grouse in Potter 
County and the following spring 
they were plentiful, having wintered 
well. In two years it was deemed 
necessary to have a closed season 
for a year to conserve them. The 
winter before numbers were found 
dead in the woods, in one case five 
under one tree, the other cases one 
at a time. None of those finding the 
birds thought enough about it to 
have them examined by competent 
skill to determine cause of death, 
any further than to satisfy them- 
selves that the birds had not been 
shot. 

In talking this matter over with 
Harry VanCleve, for many years 
Game Warden for the State, now in 
charge of the Hull Game Preserve on 
the East Fork, he stated that he 
found a num!ber of dead birds thai 
year. Thery were nothing but skin, 
bone& and feathers, nothing in their 
crops, and examination showed a 
whitish growth in their mouths and 
throat completely closing the throat. 
The birds had died of starvation be- 
cause they could not swallow fooa. 
This information was given us Feb- 
ruary, 1921. 

Canker and Diphtheria are among 
the ills tame pigeons are subject to, 
generally brought on by poor sanita- 
tion, poor food or contaminated 
ground. 

In 1878, Edward T. Martin re- 
cites an experience with 20,000 live 
wild birds in pens 16 feet square, 1,- 
000 to a pen. The birds had clean- 
ed their feathers, were eating well 
and appeared strong and healthy, 
had eaten their half-bushel of corn 
to the pen. An hour later all the 
piegons in room No. 1 were dead or 
dying of canker. In another hour 



the second and third pens were dy- 
ing rapidly. Sulphur and alum sav- 
ed most of the rest. He adds, "could 
such an epidemic have broken out 
among the wild birds? But if so 
what became of the dead? There 
seems to be no sure answer to the 
question 'what became of the 
Pigeons.' and at best any reply 
would be guess work. 

In 1914, and article appeared in 
Hunter-Trader-Trapper relating that 
an old trapper by the name of Mc- 
Namie in 1881, passing from Emei- 
son to the upper waters of Tahque- 
now River, Michigan, through a 
pigeon nesting found the ground for 
several miles littered with dead 
pigeons, and overhead the birds were 
nodding their heads and fluttering in 
a sickly manner, continually drop- 
ping to the ground where they gasp- 
ed for a few minutes and lay still, 
dead. This article seemed to confirm 
Our own belief in what we had claim- 
ed for years that the pigeons must 
have been exterminated by disease 
and we wrote many letters to Michl- 
again seeking confirmation. 

One of these letters fell into the 
hands of W. H. Merritt of Wolver- 
ine, the man who had furnished the 
foundation for the story, he receiv- 
ing it from McNamie and passing it 
on to Helmuth Bay, the writer of 
the article. Mr. Merrit wrote us a 
very interesting letter on the ques- 
tion of pigeons and related the sup- 
position that a camp tender named 
Crazy Joe had possibly found a 
couple of barrels of rotten beef in a 
lumber camp and had poisoned the 
same for killing bear, that the 
pigeons are crazy for salt and had 
fed on the poisoned salt beef, this 
causing their death. McNamey Is 
living at Emerson, but we have been 
unable to get a reply to our letter 
from him. If the dead pigeons 
numbered up into the millions, or 
even hundreds of thousands, the 
poison theory would not account for 
all of them — we doubt if it would 
account for 50,000, and we also 
doubt if they got a good doze of 



poison they would in any great num- 
bers get many miles away. We poi- 
soned Coyotes in Kansas many 
years ago, and we never had one get 
ten yards away from the bit of 
poisoned suet. Mr. Merritt also 
doubts the date 1881, it was probab- 
ly in 188 0. The pigeons nested in 
other parts of the State in 188 0, we 
know of no writer that claims there 
was a nesting in Michigan after 
1880. They nested in Michigan in 
the even years, the beech trees bear- 
ing nuts in the odd numbered years 
— every other year — and the pigeons 
getting the nuts the next year. This 
story is not satisfactory as to our 
theory and we have to fall back on a 
few facts nearer home. 

Frank Rowland, now and foi the 
past five years. County Clerk of Pot- 
ter County, tells us that in 1880 or 
1882, he is not certain about the 
year, (pigeons nested in Potter 
County, both /ears) he obtained 
less than a dozea squabs with the 
idea of keepiufe them for netting 
purposes when tue oirds came again. 
When birds first nested there was a 
great demand for stooiers and fliers 
from amateur netters and they were 
worth about fiv dollars each, the 
regular pigeoneni always had a sup- 
ply for their ow.i use kept over, and 
after a day or two of netting live 
birds untraint old for a little more 
than dead ones. Frank was young 
then and had visions of comparative 
wealth, for a boy, from the sale of 
his birds, a vision that never mater- 
ialized. He noticed when he obtain- 
ed the squabs there was a whitish 
growth at the corners of and in their 
mouths. He built a nice pen and 
coop with water from the spring 
running through it, followed the ad- 
vice of pigeoners in taking care of 
them, but while they seemed to be 
doing well for a few days they were 
never well, and in a very short time 
all were dead except one. The last 
one, a female recovered and lived for 
several months becoming quite tame, 
but finally died. This seems to have 
been a very clear case of canker. Mr. 



Rowland also tells us that he had 
talked with Eldred Woodcock, one of 
the best woodsmen and trappers in 
this section, now dead, and he had 
told of seeing wild pigeons with a 
"mouth disease," same as Mr. How- 
land's squabs, but had given it no 
name and had not connected it 
especially with the disappearance ot 
the pigeons. 

Milo Lyman, one of the most 
prominent business men of Roulette 
Township, this county, writes us: In 
1880, I hunted pigeons with a friend 
on the Portage. It was during one 
of the last nestings in McKean 
County. We killed about 75 birds. 
When I brought my birds home, my 
Mother, in preparing them for cook- 
ing found them very poor and not 
plump as pigeons usually were, 
lumps in their mouths and throats 
partially filled with a yellowish- 
white growth, some so near full that 
it must have been difllcult for them 
to swallow food. They were unfit 
for human food and were thrown 
away. Two years later, in North- 
ern Michigan, I found a few pigeons 
in pairs only, nesting in swamps and 
I killed some of them. On examina- 
tion found most of them in about 
the same condition as those previous- 
ly killed in Pennsylvania — very poor 
and suffering from, I now believe. 
Canker. Birds were few and scat- 
tering. I believe that these birds 
with their young all died then and 
there. I have never seen any pigeons 
since. Mr. Lyman writes that the 
first he remembers of the pigeons 
Was in 1854, when a very small boy, 
a large flock of them came down to 
his Father's barnyard, from a brolc- 
enup nesting, many of them dying 
there, they were so starved. 

Leroy Lyman, father of Milo Ly- 
man, Was one of the greatest hunt- 
ers in Northern Pennsylvania, a 
geologist of considerable note, and 
one of the prominent men of Potter 
County. He died in 1880. He al- 
ways kept a voluminous diary and 
from his diaries Milo has given us 
much information including the fol- 



lowing: . About the middle of April, 
18 54, the pigeons commenced nest- 
ing west of Coudersport, snow all 
gone. Soon after came high winds 
and for several days around zero 
weather, with snow several inches 
deep, breaking up the nesting and 
thousands of birds freezing to death. 
By May 20, the surviving birds were 
nesting again. June 20th, Mr. Leroy 
Lyman visited the nesting and 
■ "found thousands of birds sick, dy- 
ing and dead from some throat dis- 
ease." At the same time there wer« 
nestings in McKean County. In 1870 
there were nestings in Potter, Mc- 
Kean and Elk counties, about forty 
miles in length. They commenced 
nestings in McKean County. In 1870 
middle of April, twenty-sixth of 
April eggs laid, May 3rd and May 
9th additions were made to the 
nestings 'by birds from the West. On 
May 26th, Milo Lyman went to the 
nestings and found where on a prev- 
ious visit birds appeared healthy now 
were suffering with contagion of 
throat disease. 

Mr. Lyman believes that in 18 54 
there were double the birds that ap- 
peared at any time later, and not 
more than one to one hundred of 
them in Pennsylvania later as com- 
pared with 1830, "according to what 
my grandparents have told me." 

We ourselves have been in nest- 
ings many times and always found 
lots of dead birds — never examined 
any of them. If we thought about it 
at all would have laid it to the 
wounded birds dying, and the natur- 
al death rate among so many birds. 

After 1878, comparatively fe-w 
birds were trapped and sent to mar- 
ket, and thereafter there were no 
S'Uch large nestings as before. But 
in 1880 there were nestings in Mich- 
igan and Pennsylvania in which 
there must have been under ordinary 
conditions a material increase in 
the number of pigeons. In 1882 
there was a good nesting in Potter 
County, Pa., (we know of no other 
nesting this year) )in which there 
was less than 100,000 killed. There 



should have been quite a large in- 
crease from this colony. In 1886 
there was a still larger number of 
birds in Potter County, failing to 
nest, flew away towards Canada. In 
1880 there were several colonies, In 
1886, two so far as we know — the 
birds which left the Eastern part of 
this county and the two day's flight 
from the West following them. This 
year there was a small nesting re- 
ported in Bradford County. 

The two or three drownings could 
only have affected that num'ber of 
colonies, and it is pretty certain that 
only one of these occurred after 
1878. Even if 50,000 were drown 
while it would make a big showing 
on the beach, but not much of a 
showing in even a single colony of 
birds. The opinion of the orintholo- 
gists that they had become so de- 
pleted that they could not nest as 
was their custom and gradually died 
out in probably true, as to the last 
phase of the birds, but there were 
pigeons enough in 1886 to make 
two pretty fair sized nestings of 
hundreds of thousands of birds each. 
They did not nest after that neither 
were any great numbers seen. True 
for many years there were reports of 
"large flocks of pigeons," but very 
rarely was the number estimated as 
100, oftener a dozen to twenty, not a 
handful! to the old flocks say noth- 
ing of flights. It seems to us and we 
fully beleive that the birds after 18- 
78 became fewer from some other 
cause than the ruthlessness of man, 
drowning or lack of numbers to nest 
according to their custom. Too many 
of them dropped out of sight after 
1880 and 1886. The pigeon was a 
long lived bird— twenty to thirty 
years, perhaps more, and had there 
been no increase from young should 
not hav^ passed out so suddenly. 
There was no trapping or killing to 
speak of after 1880 in the west and 
in 1882 in Potter County, Pennsyl- 
vania. 

It is a well known fact that tame 
pigeons contracted Canker, why noi 
the wild ones, although their eu- 



10 



viroment would make them much 
less susceptible to the disease. Moul- 
ton tells of a thousand dying in an 
hour, confined in pens. This must 
have been a very unusally virulent 
form. Milo Lyman's story, and Lenv 
Lyman's diary shows the pigeons iP 
Pennsylvania had contracted the di- 
sease, and Frank Rowland's experi- 
ence is proof that it was prevalent 
more or less some years later. Once 
started may it not have been spreaa 
gradually from contact or otherwise 
until it destroyed the hosts. 

The last flight was to Canadian 
wilds of vast extent, few inhabitants 
or travelers we believe the bulk of 
the birds perished without attract- 
ing the attention of the world out- 
side. In this day it could not happen 
for had any one found any unusual 
number of dead birds or animals 
some newspaper reporter would 
learn of it and spread the story 
broadcast—but not liable to happen 
in the '80s. The world was not then 
so well scoured for news. Dr. Ash- 
craft, of Coudersport has written his 
theory "that some germ disease had 
by contamination of feeding grounds 
or otherwise wiped out the pas- 
senger pigeon," but the Doctor gives 
no instances of the contagious di- 
sease existing in the wild pigeons. 

In preparing the foregoing we have 
to acknowledge credit to French's 
Passenger Pigeon in Pennsylvania; 
W. B. Mershow, The Passenger 
Pigeon; Outing; Forest and Stream; 
Smithsonian Institution Report, in 
addition to credits in the body of the 
article, also to Vesta Thompson Van- 
DeBoe who rendered much valuable 
aid in hunting up old reports that I 
would probably have missed. 



The following was written some 
two years ago at the request of John 
C. French of Roulette, author of the 
best book on pigeons we have seen, 
"The Passenger Pigeon in Pennsyl- 
vania," for the second edition. 

PIGEON NOTES 

Nests were roughly made, just 
sticks laid across, no lining of leaves 



or feathers. Could see up through the 
nests. 

Two eggs was the rule, thouga 
some nests contained but one— egg 
dropped, or thrown from the nest, 
and perhaps, at times, the amount of 
food available may have had some- 
thing to do with the number of eggs. 
Some writers say only one egg. Our 
own experience and observation In a 
number of nesting was two. 

Two or three days time for buliu- 
ing nests and laying eggs; period of 
incubation about two weeks; In two 
weeks more the squabs leave the nest 
and in a week all old and young have 
left the nesting grounds. About six 
weeks completes the nesting. Only 
about three days for getting squabs 
by cutting timber or poking them 
from the nests. Main body birds left 
as soon as young were large enougi^ 
to leave while still in the nests. A 
few remained to guide the squabs 
when they were able to leave— about 
one week. 

Old birds did not feed in or near 
the nesting. This feeding ground was 
left for the young. Nesting birds fed 
once each day, cock flight in the 
morning, hens later. They fed from 
twenty to sixty miles away. They 
took turns on the nests. Not all the 
birds fed in the same place, in dif- 
ferent sections of the nesting they 
fed in different directions, north, 
south east, or west. 

The birds were no benefit to ag- 
riculture as they were not insect 
feeders. In the Fall they destroyed 
Buckwheat and other grains. 

Did the birds nest more than on ,e 
a year, and did they nest EVERY 
YEAR, There is evidence that some 
years they nested (the same birds) 
two or three times, but not often. 
We have been unable to find that 
they nested otlier than in even num- 
bered years — at least in the North. 
Every reported nesting we have 
found that when traced up beyond a 
reasonable doubt, was in the even 
numbered years. Personally we 
never knew of a nesting in an odd 
numbered year. 



11 



The birds wintered in the soutn 
where there were immense ROOST- 
INGS, but we have seen no accounts 
of their nesting there, that we rem- 
ember of. 

When the beechnuts became 
sprouted the old birds would scratcu 
up the leaves near the nesting, ex- 
posing the nuts and sprouts, prevent- 
ing growth, and thus furnishing food 
for the young birds, before they were 
able to fly sufRcently well to follow 
the old birds. 

My first recollection of Wild 
Pigeons, clear recollections, carries 
back oxer sixty years. I must hav^e 
seen thousands of them before but 
they left no clear impression on my 
mind. The birds were with us near- 
ly every Fall and Spring, sometimes 
only a few scattering scouts and at 
other times by the millions, it seem- 
ed. I was a very small boy when one 
morning lower West Street in Cou- 
dersport, the gardens, yards, we had 
not arrived to dignity of lawns as 
yet, and the commons South, several 
acres in all, were suddenly covered 
with pigeons working on the ground. 
The ground was blue with them. A 
Mr. Pratt got out his shot gun for 
the purpose of making a slaughter- 
ing, and thinking he could get more 
by shooting on the wing frightened 
them to a raise. It seemed as though 
every bird took wing at the same 
time, and the noise was like a strong 
wind blowing. Pratt fired both bar- 
rels but never got a bird. Probably 
shot under. He explained that the 
birds were nesting somewhere West 
of here and were "Worming." The 
idea he conveyed was that at a cer- 
tain age of the young birds the old 
ones for a few days fed on worms, or 
grass roots, or both. I know that 
several years later when the birds 
were nesting WeS't of Coudersport it 
was reported that large numbers of 
them were covering the flats on Pine 
Creek, near Manchester, "Worming." 
I have never seen anything written 
in regard to "Worming" and only in 
these two instances heard it men- 
tioned. 



Pijaieons Feeding 

Some years later with a shot gun 
too heavy by some pounils I started 
for the top of the hill West of Cou- 
dersport. At that time the Pigeons 
were nesting in McKean County and 
many birds were scattered through 
our woods. A little beyond the top 
of the hill in some large timber, 
principally beech, I heard the "tweat 
tweat" of a multitude of birds not 
yet in sight. I stopped beside an old 
stump to see what was coming, or 
rather what was doing, as it was ev- 
ident the woods in the distance were 
full of Pigeons. In a very short time 
the birds appeared in plain sight as 
the woods were open and the leaves 
not started. I had never seen the 
like before and for that matter nev- 
er happened to see the like again. 
The birds were coming in a body 
about twenty rods front and to a 
depth of five or six rods, the air fill- 
ed with Pigeons to a depth of five or 
six feet above the ground, seemingly 
rolling over and over, and feeding on 
Beech nuts, and all the time making 
the "tweat tweat" cry that coiila 
have been heard a quarter of a mile 
or more. I think the cry was only 
made by the Pigeons in the air. The 
front line was as straight as the line 
of a body of well trained soldiers 
marching, the rear line of birds con- 
tinually raising, flying over those in 
front and dropping down a foot or 
two in advance of the front line on 
the ground while in between the 
leaves were flying as the birds un- 
covered the beech nuts and made 
their afternoon meal. The birds 
passed within six feet of me giving 
me the best possible chance for ob- 
servation. I do not think I moved 
enough to wink both eyes at one 
time from the time they came in 
sight until I was looking along the 
last row of them. Long before I had 
learned that birds and animals while 
sharp sighted would not notice a 
perfectly still object. But I wanted 
Pigeons and as the last were passing 
I brought up the gun and took a 
snapshot in the air. The first move 



12 



sent the birds up with a great roar 
of wings, as I expected. I made the 
shot and I picked up just two birds, 
one with a single slug in the head 
and the other "all shot to pieces," 
so there was nothing of value to 
carry home, the bird being so close 
that it received practically the whole 
charge. Powder and shot were 
scarce and expensive articles for 
boys in those days, and owning a gun 
out of the question with those in my 
class. A sporting neighbor would 
occasionally loan me his shot gun 
and any little change that by luck or 
chance came my way would buy pow- 
der and shot in small quantities. 
This day I had borrowed the gun, my 
money was sufficient to procure four 
or five loads of powder, but no shot. 
I had taken the lead slug or filling 
from a worm-out whalebone buggy 
whip that had been cast away, 
pounded it out flat until it was about 
as thick as a B. shot, and with the 
kitchen butcher knife cut it into 
square slugs to be used in place of 
shot. From the Pigeon shot so bad- 
ly there was nothing left for food I 
carefully removed quite a number of 
the slugs for future use, and I used 
them. I venture to say that many of 
the "old boys" remember using any 
old lead they could get hold of as 1 
used the weight in the butt of the 
old whipstalk. 

Fee<ling Pigeons 
In 1870 when the large nesting 
was in Northern Pennsylvania, the 
professional Pigeoners, those who 
made it a business to follow the 
birds from State to State during the 
nesting season, were much in evi- 
dence scattered all along the nesting 
section. A number were stopping 
at the Couderspori Hotel, and eve- 
ning the old basement was head- 
quarters. Here the pigeon gossip of 
the day was in full swing and much 
pigeon lore could have been gathered 
had any one been interested enough 
to take notes. I spent a few eve- 
nings watching the care 
of the birds used in netting. At 
night all the birds were fed, water- 



ed and exercised. A Pigeoner would 
take a bird from the box or basket, 
the birds eyes sewed up, place it up- 
on his knee and with one hand over 
the bird's shoulders press the beak 
with thumb and fore finger until its 
mouth opened, with fingers of the 
other hand put kernels of corn in its 
mouth until the crop was filled, then 
the beak is pushed into a small cup 
of water and in less time than it 
takes to write this the feeding and 
watering is over. About the second 
feeding the bird is ready to do its 
part fully. Next the boots are put 
on, buckskin strings made into slip- 
knots over the feet, and the bird 
transferred to fore finger, the 
strings drawn taut through the hand 
and the exercise begins. The hand 
raised slowly and dropped quickly. 
As the bird drops win^s are out- 
stretched, quickly recovering as the 
hand stops, and this is repeated a 
number of times. Every motion is 
carefully watched and the action of 
the bird soon determines whether or 
not it will do for netting purposes. 
The least wrong motion or misplac- 
ing of a wing or feather on recovery 
condems the bird as a Stooler. A 
coming flock of birds seem to be 
Eagle eyed as to the stool bird, pay- 
ing little or no attention to Bedders 
and Flyers. All the birds are fed 
and exercised. Not one bird in a 
dozen will make a real good stool 
bird. 

A Michigan Professional says the 
birds fly about one mile per minute; 
that he had timed them often. In 
Michigan the land is laid out in Sec- 
tions one mile square; as the head of 
a flock passed the section line a flirt 
of a handkerchief gave notice to an- 
other person on the other side of the 
section who with watch in hand, the 
time in passing was very accurately 
taken. A large number of observa- 
tions fixed the time in passing at one 
mile per minute. As to birds mat- 
ing but once: Another professional 
told that he had seen a male bird 
killed immediately after giving up 
the nest to the female, two days lat- 



13 



er another male was attending that 
nest with the original female. This 
statement of remating was generally 
accepted by those present, pigeoners, 
as true. In all nestings there were 
large numbers of birds not nesting 
roosting near the nesting, and the 
Pigeoners claimed that in case of a 
mated bird being lost another was 
supplied from those roosting. Dur- 
ing the nesting a large number of 
the nesting birds were netted or kill- 
ed with guns. If they did not remafe 
what became of the nests as it Is 
simply impossible for a single bird to 
hatch and rear the young? Only a 
very small number of abandoned 
nests, according to my observation, 
could be found in nesting. I have 
seen now and then an old bird feed- 
ing in the nesting returning to the 
nest as soon as satisfied, but their 
number amounted to almost nothing 
in comparison with the number of 
mates that had been killed. 

One evening when asked what 
luck, a Pigeoner answered: "Good, a 
few 'birds over 100 dozen at one cast 
of the net," using a double net, prob- 
ably. Another said, "I believe I had 
twice that number under my nets at 
one time — so many they raised the 
net and a good share of them escap- 
ed." It had been a good moi'niug 
for birds and almost all of the netters 
had had extraordinary good luck. ^ 
am told by one who followed netting 
for a time that from twenty-five to 
thirty-five dozen in a day was con- 
sidered pretty fair luck, nearly all 
caught on the moining flight, few on 
the return. Birds sold as low as 
thirty cents per dozen. I have seen 
both dry and salt beds, about as de- 
scribed in "The Passenger Pigeon in 
Pennsylvania," except that I never 
saw one ^'-^th grain scattered over, 
and always Ll^ere were a dozen or 
more dead biras placed as naturally 
as possible scattered over the beds, 
and called bedders. The most I ever 
saw caught at one time was twenty 
dozen, on a salt bed, on the head of 
the Sunken Branch, Potter County, 
located in small scattering timber. 



Pigeoner told me had salted it for a 
week before using. He used stool, 
fliers and bedders in the morning, 
and dispensed with them during the 
return flight when the roosting birds 
would come down for salt. From 
half a dozen to two dozen the catches 
would run then. I have seen three 
loads of pigeons go out to Wells- 
ville, on the Erie railroad, in one 
morning, three thousand to four 
thousand pounds in each load. A 
wagon box of spoiled squabs fertiliz- 
ed one garden in Coudersport. Har- 
low Dingee, with a single barrel gun 
killed thirteen dozen and one birds 
in one day in Dingman Run nesting, 
selling therrr for one dollar per doz- 
en. Early in the nesting birds were 
packed without picking. During one 
nesting, late in the season birds were 
picked in the old Court House by 
women and childrerr at five cents per 
dozen and the feathers, tail, wing 
feathers and upper part of the neck 
not pulled. It was a great place for 
women and gossip, and was enjoyed 
as a sort of a pic-nick, aside from 
the pin money earned. The feathers 
were used for pillows and beds. It 
was told there that a person could 
not die on pigeon feathers. One 
woman said she knew this was so as 
her aunt was dying for a week, and 
when at her earnest request they 
moved her to a goose-feather bed 
from a pigeon feather bed she only 
lived an hour. 

Netting Outfit 
Recently I was shown by Miss 
Rose Crane, a Coudersport teacher, 
some of the outfit used by her father 
in catching pigeons, nets, ropes and 
stool. The nets are made of linen 
twine, two of them one and one-half 
inch mesh, twelve and one-haL feet 
by twenty-eight feet; the third two 
inch mesh, fifteen and one-half feet 
by thirty-five feet. These nets weio 
made by Mr. Crane and the large one 
last used by him in 1882. The Stool: 
A standard one and one-half feet in 
length, iion socket, morticed for 
steel spring, and shows it was driven 
in the ground about one foot, hole 



14 



In top of standard in which fitted 
another standard seventeen inches 
long with pulley on top. Steel 
spring fastens in mortice, attached to 
pole in three pieces joined by fer- 
rules, total length of about six feet; 
attached stool for bird ring made 
from wire, probably the bail of a 
pail, six inches in diameter, covered 
with netted twine, with two holes 
through the netting for the boots to 
pass through to fasten the stool bird, 
a ring near stool for cord passing 
over the pulley to bough house. Mr. 
Crane was a carpenter and this stool 
outfit is a little more elaborate than 
those in general use. It was made 
jointed to pack in bag with nets 
Usually the stool rod was in one 
piece, the stool a piece of thin board 
covered with an old woolen stocking, 
and instead of passing over a pulley 
the cord passed through a hole in 
the standard or over a notch cut in 
it. Miss Crane describes the box or 
basket for carrying the birds as a 
skeleton box, oval top with handle, 
basket covered with canvas, partition 
across middle with door in each end, 
stool birds in one end, fliers in the 
other. The baskets I saw were about 
the same, some without partitions, 
most of them flat top, and other min- 
or differences. These baskets were 
in size about 30x15x15 inches. For 
several years Mr. Crane kept a pen 
of fliers and stoolers against the day 
of the pigeons return, and while they 
built nests they never reared any 
young. Old Tom was the last, living 
a number of years after the others 
had died one by one. He became a 
great pet knowing his name and en- 
joying being petted as well as any 
tame Canary. 

I have been in a least six different 
nestings, shot large numbers of birds 
never netted any, but have seen it 
done a number of times. I supposed 
that two eggs to the nest was conced- 
ed by all. A few years ago Eldred 
Wood of Coudersport, an old hunter 
and trapper, and experienced woods- 
man, published an article claiming 
that Pigeons laid only one egg to the 



nest. He ought to have known with 
his experience. My observations 
were different. I have seen two eggs 
fall from a nest in the nesting where 
the birds quarreled. The only Squabs 
I ever took from trees was where a 
small bunch of birds, perhaps two 
hundred, were nesting in the second 
growth timber at least a quarter of a 
mile from the regular nesting, and I 
got twenty-four squabs from thir- 
teen nests. Naturally, I think the 
birds laid two eggs to each nest. The 
nestings I visited were in hardwood 
timber principally, occasionally a 
hemlock tree, but these were not as 
well filled witli nests as the hard- 
wood. I do not mean to say that 
others who have seen nesting under 
different conditions and in different 
places have drawn wrong conclus- 
ions, or that they have been mistak- 
en in their statements. They state 
the matter as it appeared to them 
and I am doing the same. 

Most pictures of Passenger 
Pigeons show them with drooping 
tail and tip of wings raised slightly 
above the tail. If I remember cor- 
rectly the neck was long and slim, 
tail tight. They were the trimest 
and smoothest of birds when at rest. 
I have in my office a colored print of 
the last female bird in the Cincinnat- 
ti Zoo, with a male to match, a copy 
from a painting. This shows droop- 
ing tail and raised tip of wing. It 
ought to be right, but it differs from 
my recollection of the wild bird. 
Perhaps they acted different in cap- 
tivity. Perhaps my memory is 
wrong. A dozen or more old settlers 
seeing this picture call it fine. Some 
say not exactly right, and after 
studying the picture a little half of 
them said: "neck of male not slim 
enough and wing feathers should lay 
fiat over the base of the tail," and 
there you are. What became of the 
Pigeons? It was reported long after 
their practical extermination that 
they had drowned in the Gulf of 
Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, and in the 
Atlantic — couldn't have happened in 
all three. The habitat of the Pas- 



15 



senger Pigeon was north of the Gulf 
and East of the Great Plains. The 
Band Tail is a very different bird and 
still found West of the Mountains 
They are gone and there is not sat- 
isfactory explanation that I have 
seen. The flocks had been woefully 
depleted but the last attempted nest- 
ing as reported consisted of a very 
large number of birds. At that 
time there was plenty of hardwood 
and was for years afterward, for the 
number of birds then existing as the 
real cutting of beech timber did not 
commence until many years later. 

My first experience in the bough 
house was with an old Pigeoner nam- 
ed Jim, I have forgotten the rest ol 
his name, at his invitation one cold 
morning in the spring. We arrived 
at the bed just before daylight and 1 
obeyed orders as to ropes and sticks 
assisting in setting the net and gett- 
ing ready. As soon as it was light 
birds were seen flying, but a long 
distance away, over half-a-mile Jiiu 
said. They had changed their flight 
from the previous day. After wait- 
ing a time Jim said: "The birds are 
a long way off, but I have two of the 
very best fliers, and a better bird 
does not exist than the one on the 
stool. I will try and call the next 
flock." Soon a small flock appeared, 
so far away that it looked hopeless, 
but up went the fliers and as they 
gradually settled tugging at the ends 
of the cords, I was willing to believe 
they were the best of the best. The 
stool bird was steadily worked and 
in a few seconds Jim said, "did you 
see that? We'll get them sure." I 
did not see but he later told me he 
saw the motion of the flock as they 
noticed the fliers. They circled and 
shortly came in from back of the 
bough house with a swish that made 
me dodge involuntarily. At the 
psycological second, second or frac- 
tion of a second is proper, as it re- 
quires experience to know just 
when to spring the net, for the birds 
no more than strike the ground be- 
fore they discover it is no place for 
them and they are off and the catch 



is lost. The pull is made while most 
of the birds are in the air just off the 
bed — this would not be the case on 
a salt bed. The rope was pulled and 
we had about two dozen birds. 
"There," said Jim, "you have seen as 
fine working of fliers and stooler, 
and as pretty a call of distant birds 
as you will ever see." I pinched 
heads and I bit heads after the ap- 
proved manner of Pigeoners, and af- 
ter seeing a few more called and 
caught that came nearer felt well 
paid for a cold and disagreeable 
walk of about two miles before 
dawn. 

And I saw about the last of that 
Stool Pigeon's work. A few nights 
after in the basement of the old 
Hotel, Jim remarked that he was 
trying out another bird in place of 
"Maggie," (the pet name of the 
bird.) 

"Maggie dead?" inquired his 
neighbor. 

"Not that I know of. I hope not," 
said Jim. 

"What is the matter," was the 
next inquiry. 

"Turned her loose," said Jim. 

"Well, you are some fool. I offer- 
ed you ten dollars for Maggie a day 
or two ago." 

"Yes," said Jim. "But you could 
not buy her." 

"Well, why did you let her go, ana 
why didn't you pinch her head and 
throw her into the catch, if yuu haa 
got through with her and wouldn't 
let anybody else have her? Dead she 
would have brought just as much in 
the market as ony of your catch." 

Jim waited a minute and then re- 
plied: "I have had Maggie three 
years and she has always done gooa 
work. Best bird I ever saw. But 
lately she has seemed to fail, not so 
lively as heretofore, did not eat su 
well, seemed to get tired, but never 
refused to work. If I had her home 
where I could put her in the coop 
and take care of her I would have 
done so. I have no way of taking 
care of her here — no coop to put her 
in and it may be months before I re- 



16 



turn home. If turned out she may 
come out all right. I never kill a 
bird that does good work for me but 
turn them loose, and surely Maggie 
has earned her freedom. The birds 
I caught with her netted me over a 
thousand dollars in three months, 
one season. Early this morning I 
put her out on the ground near the 
net. She walked around a bit, 
fluttered her wings, picked up some 
corn I had scattered for her and a 
few beech nuts I had found under n 



tree so she will know enough to feed 
in the woods, pecked at the dirt, then 
flew into a tree just beyond the 
bough house and dressed her feath- 
ers. She was around for almost an 
hour, finally flying away with a 
small bunch of birds I failed to call 
to the net. I sincerely hope she will 
escape the hunters and netters, and 
live as long as nature allows a pigeon 
to live." 

There is a difference in men, and 
a difference in Pigeoners. 



17 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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or /"^ 



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